NorCal football: Serra program took big step by reaching NorCal regional final

SAN JOSE -- It was an unhappy Serra football team that made its way back to the locker room after losing to Del Oro 28-20 Friday in the Northern California Division I regional bowl game at San Jose City College.

The season ended one week too early for Serra's taste, one week shy of playing for a state championship.

But lost in the emotion of the moment were a few basic facts: Every football season in school history had ended earlier than this one. Conjecture about things like NorCal championships and state final appearances is something entirely without precedent at Serra, something no other Serra team could engage in.

"I think the kids are going to look back and marvel about the special season they had at Serra High,'' Serra coach Patrick Walsh said. "But the wisdom of the heart doesn't come about until the pain subsides.''

A big step for the Serra program. A West Catholic Athletic League co-championship, the first Central Coast Section Open Division championship and the first NorCal appearance in school history.

And all of that coming about with a pair of first-year coordinators on board. Chris Vasseur gave the defense a new, dynamic identity. And Steven Lo brought in the spread on offense and incorporated it along with the incumbent double-wing for a unique playbook package.

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And Serra, in the first year of employing the spread with Matthew Fa'aita, a converted running back playing quarterback, went further than any team in school history.

"Matt's a special kid,'' Lo said. "He did a great job.''

If Serra could go this far this year with the offense still a work in progress, what's going to happen after the Padres have had two or three years of familiarity with the system and gotten comfortable with the offense?

"This was a team that was intent on going all the way,'' Walsh said. "It just wasn't meant to be, but that's OK.''